Friday, 27 August 2010

I have a wonderful friend called Jan. I have known her for about 10 years and she is has been a constant throughout. She is one of those people that you can trust and rely on whatever the situation. She is fun but sensible, open minded but moral and a lady that is very dear to my family. You know those people that you feel uplifted and better for seeing, she is one of those!

I thought you might like to see this little clay heart I made for her. I rolled out some craft clay, dried it in the oven and painted it. The flowers are transfers and the message I wrote by hand, Sadly I smudged the lettering a little...but at least she knows it was handmade lol!

Hello there! I know I owe you an update big time.What can I say?... There is a saying that goes...'life is what happens when you are making other plans'...so true, it has been busy and a lot of our plans have been put on hold...

I'll get the sad part out of the way first. FIL passed away from Asbestosis this year. Naturally it had a big impact on the family in many ways but we are supporting MIL the best we can and hopefully she will come through the other side of this okay. We never know what is ahead of us and it seems I have learned to drive for a reason and not a minute too late. My new found wings have been very useful in running back and forth to MIL... DS has been an absolute star and is spending a lot of time with her as she is not happy being alone and at the moment it is making her ill. I really am blessed to have a son that is so thoughtful and willing to give his time to help other people. He is spending more time with her than he is at home over this Summer holiday. MIL is only 20-30 mins away by car but that is far enough away when you are feeling alone.

We are really getting into the photography lark. I've had a real boost to my self esteem in that recently 2 peeps requested portraits and I have had exceedingly positive feedback from them. They have both said that the pics I did for them are the best they have had taken of them...they are people who speak their mind and wouldn't just speak to flatter, so I know they mean it. One is a photographer himself and the other is an ex-model! Okay I know I mustn't let it go to my head, but it is great to know that my own 'style' is appreciated. I go with my gut feeling which is something I haven't had the confidence to do in the past, and this time it seems to be paying off. Recently someone saw some pics I'd taken and offered to pay me to do some work for them. I declined payment but am going to happily oblige their request...at the moment I don't feel comfortable charging as this is very much a hobby but I hope to make my hobby pay for itself in the future.

On the non-serious side of photography, I've got myself a 'snappy camera' (for blogging and record shots) as my dear Uncle Bert used to call them...now I'm a driver I'm naturally going more places and doing more in my daily life. So often I was thinking I wish I had a camera I could fit in my bag...so I treated myself as a reward for passing my test. Much of what I blog on here will be with my snappy camera, it is small, easy and does the job :o)

DS had more exams and results and I am proud to say I am the DM of an 'A' grade student...I know that is not the 'be all and end all' of life, but as I home-edded him it is confirmation that we did good!!!!

Right now the main part of my days are taken up with homemaking, taking care of MIL's garden and developing a business plan. I work for DH some days but am happy to say I still have time to play...I am looking forward to a handmade Christmas this year, and want to make it as uncommercialised as possible.